Gathering at 7:00 p.m. in Niles Chapel on the following Thursday evenings: December 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd.
There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. ~Howard Thurman
Join us this Advent for a series of explorations on contemplative prayer. As a season of anticipation and hope, Advent is an ideal time to delve into the longings of our hearts through the inward journey of contemplation.
Over the course of four weeks, we will explore a simple method of contemplative prayer or meditation practiced among early Christians and preserved in various Christian communities around the world. Along the way, we will discover that contemplation draws us into deeper relationship with God, others, and ourselves − and that the discipline of contemplative prayer empowers us to respond to Jesus’ call to follow him and serve the world.
Each short exploration will be followed by a time for contemplative prayer. New and experienced meditators alike are welcome. No registration necessary.
From the Annunciation to the Alleluias, Advent is a season of Anticipation. In music, art, movement and speech, we look forward to the birth of Christ. Come, Lord Jesus!
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
Current Covid Protocols for Adult Education
Our presenters are fully vaccinated and will comply with our testing protocol for worship leaders. Social distancing will apply in the Assembly Room with seating limited to 40 and masking inside the building will continue.
November 28 | Elizabeth Steel
Advent in Pictures: Joy and Gladness
Joy is a central theme to the Advent narrative. We will explore the concept of “joy” in visual art and usher in the season by reflecting on how we are called to express joy in our own lives. By encountering a variety of different works, we will discern how we can be open to receiving and sharing God’s “joy and gladness” this season.
Elizabeth Steel is a fourth year student at Princeton Theological Seminary earning her MDiv and MA in Christian Education and Formation. With BA in Art History at the University of Virginia, she is exploring the capacity that art holds for theological reflection and formation, including an internship at the Princeton University Art Museum. She grew up in McLean, Virginia and didn’t know anybody could be anything other than Presbyterian until high school.
“Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying” may be an Advent hymn, but not in the modern sense. It has more to do with the plague than with Christmas. And “How Brightly Beams the Morning Star” (How Fair, How Bright the Morning Star) may sound like it refers to the Epiphany star the Wise Men saw, but it doesn’t! These two hymns, (“Wachet auf” and “Wie schoen leuchtet der Morgenstern”) appended in tandem to a big book by Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608) and later favorites of J. S. Bach and F. Mendelssohn, became known as the King and Queen of German Chorales.
Paul Rorem is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Warfield Professor Emeritus of Ecclesiastical History, a title he now shares with his own doctor-father Karlfried Froehlich. His courses covered St. Augustine, mysticism, women writers, and hymn texts as windows into church history in general.
During Advent, we turn our attention to the coming of our Incarnated Christ, the Word made Flesh. By also tuning in to our own bodily experiences, we can freshly experience the season this year. Together we will consider how and why embodied spiritual practices can enliven our faith. Then we will get up and play with a bit of movement for ourselves. All bodies are welcome!
Annalise Hume is a passionate, creative, down-to-earth Spiritual Director who loves listening and asking questions to help others recognize the movement of God in their life. She has a BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota as well as an MDiv and MA in Christian Education from Princeton Theological Seminary. In her spare time, you will find her playing with her toddler, watching Princeton tennis matches, and dreaming up her next trip.
Join us as we explore and hear Luke 2:8-10 as if for the first time. What tools do orators use to highlight meaning and story in scripture? Through these tools we will discover the patterns, contradictions, and hidden gems in a passage we know (almost) too well.
Michael Dean Morgan and family (Shana, Dean, and Avery) joined Nassau Church in 2013. Michael is a professional actor, head of Voice and Speech at Rowan University, and a longtime adjunct professor of Speech Communication at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Join in mid-week fellowship, share prayer concerns, join in song.
This season Nassau will gather each Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00pm for a brief service of evening prayer hosted and led by members of our church staff.
These services will be held on Zoom. A link will be sent out to the “News from Nassau (All-Church News)” email list. This is the list that receives our mid-week Nassau Generations email newsletter. If you would like to be added to this list, please visit the Newsletter page of this website.
In honor of Witherspoon’s 180th Anniversary, Church Life is planning a Year-Long Calendar of Events. On Saturday, December 5, at 3:30 p.m., WSPC will host a Zoom event to make Christmas ornaments. Monica Burch and Shirley Satterfield will teach us how to make two ornaments.
Advent and Christmas can be challenging for those who are grieving and for whom the season is tender.
Join us on Zoom for a Service of Remembrance including scripture, song, and prayer on Sunday, December 13 at 2:00 p.m. We will gather to acknowledge our sadness, to seek God’s healing, and to offer one another the gift of fellowship. The Zoom link will be available in your Sunday morning email that day.
Please bring a candle and matches to the service.
Contact Lauren McFeaters with any questions. (609-924-0103 x102)
This short story by Dylan Thomas is a Christmas classic that the whole family will enjoy. Read it aloud together, or listen to a recording of Dylan Thomas reading in his mesmerizing Welsh accent. Then grab your mug of hot chocolate, mulled cider, or spiced wine and join us on Sunday December 20 at 4:30 on Zoom. Do you have a memory of celebrating Christmas in another country? In another culture? You can share in a small group some Christmas memories of your own, or simply come to listen.
Register for the Zoom link by emailing Marcia Wood.
In this four part series, Jason Oosting will lead us in an exploration of works of art that will help us consider not only who and what we’re waiting for this Advent, but also how we’re waiting. Looking at paintings such as Breugel’s “Census at Bethlehem,” Leonardo’s “The Annunciation,” and Friedrich’s “Abbey in the Oak Forest,” we’ll investigate the people God chooses to work through and how we respond to God’s call, imagine how the moments leading up to the birth of Christ speak to our current context, and reflect on the symbolic meaning of many of the objects that we see both in paintings and all around us this time of year.
Born at an early age, Jason Oosting lives in Holland, MI with his wife Shari and kids Asher, Ezra, Elia, and Ada. He taught AP Art History for seven years at Montgomery High School and now teaches at Holland Christian High School.
